"So, if that's right, how did they treat you both?" Starflight asks with a mix of a curious and disbelieving tone.
"Well, like normal other Seawings? I mean, there's a lot more who swoon over Queen Coral." Phantomtide replies with a soft snort in response to the tone of the Nightwing's voice.
"Well, she is the Queen." Sunny points out, still cuddling the egg and talking to it, which proceeded to make the others smile. No matter who angry anyone was with the recent events, the cute appeal of seeing Sunny like that would make anyone smile.
"And she's doing something right." Phantomtide nods. "I mean. Nobody is that unhappy. There's no grumbling among the guards, or anything form of discontent. Far as I know about." He muses softly, thinking to everyone he knew from the kingdom, before realizing an issue right before Glory addressed it.
"If there's no discontent, then why is someone after that egg? That Sunny has right now." Glory snipes, glancing to the Sandwing, then back to the hybrid.
"Okay, I admit it. That's probably the only real other issue that's been happening."
"Only other real one? What's the other, then?"
"Well, the fact that Blister is allied with Queen Coral, for one. I don't exactly like any of the three sisters for starting the war and dragging the other tribes in, but out of the three, I dislike Blister the most. She's the smartest, but also the most manipulative. And to be fair, Burn tried to have me killed several times, but only for her collection, at the Sandwing Stronghold. Blister thinks I'm a threat, which makes her attempts to control, or perhaps silence me, even worse in my mind."
The others fall quiet at this. Phantomtide noticed that Starflight wore a particularly frightened expression. Before the hybrid realized he had blantly stated he had killed to avoid being killed.
"Moving on." Glory states as she notices Starflight opening his mouth, before promptly shutting it as he saw her looking at him. "Or back, really. Do you know Queen Coral might be killing her own daughters."
"Well...I certainly can't deny if that's fact...but I don't tend to believe everything I hear. I'd like some proof, before conclusions are made, please." Phantomtide responds with a soft sigh.
"So it's a theory, then, at least." Glory nods a bit.
"I'm baaaack!" They suddenly hear Tsunami call from outside of the cave entrance, before flying in and dropping three cauldrons on the cave floor. Sunny immediately seized the closest one, shoving her nose into it. Starflight got up and walked up to the second, and without warning, shot a burst of fire into it. The charred smell that wafted from it signaled the Nightwing had just roasted a whole lot of fish.
"Hey! I like them raw." Tsunami protested.
"Overruled. Raw fish is gross." Glory sticks her tongue out at the Seawing.
"Raw fish is awesome." Tsunami insisted.
"You have unreliable taste." Glory retorts. "You think your terrifying mother is awesome."
"She is not terrifying! She's a wonderful queen!"
"That is what all the scrolls say." Starflight managed to say with a mouthful of charred fish.
"Speaking of which, she actually wrote a lot of those herself." Phantomtide points out as he moves over and gets some of the fish from the cauldron.
"Really?" Starflight blinked in astonishment. Tsunami nods. "Phantomtide is right."
"She's a writer, then? I had no idea. That's so - I mean, I wish I - do you think she'd read something I -" He stammered to the point of stopping, fidgeting with the cauldron. "It's cool, is all." He mumbles, then proceeds to shove another fish into his mouth.
"Anyway, it's not just the scrolls. Her subjects think she's a great queen, too." Tsunami stated loyally.
"Even those outside of her rule think much of the same. I do too, for the most part." Phantomtide chimes in.
"Compelling," Glory shrugs. "Except for the part where she's killing off all her daughters." Tsunami turns to the Rainwing and stated, too shocked to respond.
"Well, wait." Clay pipes up. "You said that's just a theory."
"And a rather good one." Starflight flatly observes. "With her daughters dead, and no sisters either, no one will ever be challenge her for the throne. She could be queen for a hundred years and die peacefully in her sleep instead of in combat."
"That is reasonable, but then who'd inherit the throne? Once she dies peacefully in her sleep? No heirs, no blood relations. And what of Anemone?" Phantomtide questions Starflight.
"He's right. I mean, look at how she takes care of Anemone."
"Like a crazy dragon." Glory interjected, waving a smoky fish at Phantomtide and Tsunami.
"Or like a caring mother." Phantomtide argues.
"It's still a good way to make herself look innocent." Starlight offered. "Besides, think about when the murders started." He waited, with an 'isn't it obvious' expression.
"...Are you referring to Queen Coral's first daughter?" Phantomtide asks.
"Orca, right?"
"Correct!" Starflight nodded with a pleased expression, giving Phantomtide a grin that seemed out of place with how the Nightwing usually treated the hybrid. "She challenged the queen almost the moments she was full grown. I'm sure Coral was more shocked than anyone. Especially when Orca almost killed her."
"However, she only won by accident. Impaling Orca on that narwhal horn she has on the end of her tail." Phantomtide finished for him.
"And? Why would that make her murder all her future daughters."
"Seriously?" Glory scoffed. "She saw how close she could come to death. She realized if she let any of her female children grow up, she might be dead within seven years. Much easier to kill them in their eggs, or as little dragonets, before they become a threat."
"Stop it!" Tsunami clutched her head. "She's not like that. She loves her daughters. When she found the other egg broken…" She paused.
"Hmm? Other egg? Are we missing out on something here?"
Tsunami nods, then proceeds to explain about the Council, her mother's scrolls, some unknown dragon who tried to kill her in the underwater tunnel, and the way Queen oral reacted when Tortoise had failed her.
"So you see," She finished. "It can't be her killing off the female dragonets. She wants them alive more than anyone."
"Someone tried to kill you?" Clay asks in concern. "Are you alright?"
"I'd like to know what would have happened to us if they'd succeeded." Glory snarls softly.
"Umm, wouldn't Phantom have helped us?" Sunny asks, looking at the others.
"Wait, so is Sunny in danger now?" Starflight demands. "Because of that egg? Why would you do that to her."
"I don't mind." Sunny says to Starflight, still awaiting an answer to her question, as she cuddles the egg to her chest, looking more pale than usual now.
"No, listen." Tsunami stamps her foot, then takes a step back towards the cave entrance. "Don't you see? We're doing a good thing by keeping this egg alive. And now Queen Coral has to take care of all of us, because we're protecting her daughter. She can't chain you up and nod feed you anymore - if that was even her idea in the first place."
Glory and Starflight exchange "yeah, right" glances, earning a frown from Tsunami.
"And if we find the real assassin." She quickly continued. "Then we'll be heroes."
"Not if it's your mom." Glory firmly says. "Which it is."
"Can you not? Seriously?" Phantomtide huffs.
"It can't be her." Tsunami states. "The drago who attacked me in the tunnel didn't have a dragonet attached. Where are you suggesting she stashed Anemone while she came after me? And how could have she broken one of her eggs when Anemone is with her at all times."
"She could have sent someone else." Starflight suggests. "Or the attack on you could be unrelated to the princess murders. Perhaps there's another reason someone wants you dead."
"Ooo, I have a few guesses." Glory snipes.
"I think it's Shark." Tsunami states, ignoring the Rainwing. "Tortoise pointed at him before she died. He was at the Deep Palace before the rest of the Council. If I'm right and there's a secret entrance to the hatchery, he could have snuck in to kill the dragonets without anyone knowing. And he could have attacked me in the tunnel, too. Queen Coral thought she'd sent him on ahead already, so nobody knew where he was exactly."
"Tsunami," Clay says as he noses the Seawing with his snout, as his forehead crinkled in worry. "It doesn't sound like you're safe here. Maybe we should go."
"Or at least we should go," Glory suggests. "You can stay here if you really want to. We could leave now, while no one is guarding us."
Phantomtide glanced between all five of the dragonets. The uncertainty around Tsunami seemed so thick he could almost cut it with his talons, as she fingered the pearls around her neck, clearly thinking about the situation.
"No." Sunny says unexpectedly. "I'm not leaving this egg until it hatches." She rests her talons on it protectively, as everyone turned to look at her. "And we can't split up. We have to fulfill the prophecy together."
"I agree with Sunny." Starflight nods. "I don't love it here either, but we have to stay until we meet Blister. That was the whole point of coming here." He glanced over at Phantomtide with a soft stare, one that was returned once the hybrid noticed it.
"Then I think you should stay with us." Clay says as he takes Tsunami's talons in his own. "So we can keep one another safe." Sunny nods vigorously in response to the Mudwing's statement.
"All right." Tsunami nods. "Then I can help you protect the egg as well."
"You'd better." The Nightwing muttered as he glanced to Sunny with a worried expression.
"What about you?" Glory asks Phantomtide. "You've stuck with us so far. And personal feelings, and thoughts, aside, from all of us. Are you going to help if you're planning to continue being with us?"
"Absolutely." Phantomtide replies. "If there is going to be a assassin coming after the egg, they're going to have a rough time, I can assure you that. Whoever it may be."
The others nod, though Starflight does so a bit reluctantly. Phantomtide couldn't get it out of his mind why the Nightwing was acting so hostile or argumentative against him. Besides knowing the hybrid was capable of killing in a fight, there was no other reason for Starflight's disdain. Which served to make him question if Morrowseer had said something to him to make Starflight be that way.
Regardless of those thoughts, no more conversation was made, as the dragonets curled up together to sleep, sheltering the egg in the middle of their pile.
Phantomtide sat down besides the entrance to the cave, glancing outside for a brief moment, then moved back into the cave, lying down close to the pile of dragonets. His thoughts drifted to a rosy-pink scaled Skywing, who was out there, somewhere, before sleep took hold of him.
(After being away for a little over a year, I'm finally back, and am on track with continuing the story! Sorry for keeping you all waiting for so long!)